The Room Actors: Where Are They Now? (Episodes 1-4) (2017)

There’s never been a better time to a fan of The Room, thanks to a seemingly endless stream of new content that’s been coming out all at once. We most likely have James Franco to thank for that, and having now won the Golden Globe for his performance in The Disaster Artist, this is just the beginning of a much more mainstream Tommy Wiseau. While I still disagree with some of his more recent behaviours (*cough* Room Full of Spoons *cough*), I am nevertheless excited to see just how his newfound fame will influence The Room and its followers.

Most recently, fans have finally been treated to the 4-episode mockumentary series we’ve been hearing about for years: The Room Actors: Where Are They Now? Helmed by Robyn Paris (the chocolate-loving ‘Michelle’ herself), this short series is a light-hearted look at actors in The Room who have stayed out of the spotlight. In other words, everyone in the film who isn’t Tommy or Greg Sestero. It’s great to see these performers embracing The Room, taking ownership of their contribution to one of the worst movies ever made. I know some of them have, understandably, had a tough time with the public’s reaction to their roles, and so I hope this series was a great way to move forward and come to terms with the culture of the film.

Of the main cast, the mockumentary features Robyn Paris, Juliette Danielle (‘Lisa’), Philip Haldiman (‘Denny’), Carolyn Minnott (‘Claudette’), Kyle Vogt (‘Peter’), Greg Ellery (‘Steven’), and Dan Janjigian (‘Chris-R’). Each episode is structured around documentary filmmaker J.J.J. Smith (Craig Cackowski), who narrates where these actors have found themselves following the success of The Room.

They’re in asylums, by the look of things.

Of all the performers, Carolynn Minot has a surprisingly hilarious bit, and her feature may just be my favourite of all the actors. Kyle Vogt is also great as a volunteer at the Suicide Hotline call centre. He apparently takes his part in The Room so seriously that he believes he’s a psychologist in real life. Greg Ellery’s appearance in episode three is hysterical; perfectly timed and executed. The writing of the series has a genuine sweetness to it, which is likely a bit of Robyn Paris’ southern charm shining through. Each story has a dark innocence, tackling heavy topics with comical levity.

Topics including a traumatised Juliette Danielle and her downward spiral….

I suspect there’s a sort of hyperbolic truth to the events of the series too, especially regarding the depiction of how fans treat these actors. Robyn struggles to find a husband who won’t encourage her to eat chocolate off his genitals, for example. And Denny is literally driven insane by patronising fans, isolating himself to the woods where his best friend Roger is a basketball-headed scarecrow.

Complete with a Denny-style striped T-shirt.

What’s most impressive in the series is the thoughtful set design and props – with a ton of references to The Room in each frame. Most obvious are the framed pictures of various household objects behind each character, but there’s so much more to look at in each scene. There’s plenty of dialogue recreated from the film, but it’s these more subtle nods that really caught my eye in this series. In every shot, I found myself scanning the frame frantically to identify as many references as I could.

Overall, this is clearly a series made with a lot of love for The Room, and all the actors look like they had a lot of fun creating it. The show is sincere and lighthearted, and is sure to put a smile on any Roomie’s face. So don’t be a chicken – stop what you’re doing and check this series out!

The Room Actors: Where are they Now? is currently streaming at FunnyOrDie.com. Be sure to rate the series and tell all your best friends – good thinking!